Exit device vertical rod upper latching and holddown mechanism

ABSTRACT

An exit device consisting of a crossbar adapted to be pushed to raise upper and lower vertical actuating rods which in turn release respective upper and lower latchbolts so that the door can be opened. The upper latchbolt is pivoted near its outside end so that when released, it will fall into a withdrawn position by gravity, assisted by a wiping of a front face of the latchbolt by a retaining plate on the doorframe. A blocker, pivoted on the inner side of the housing, holds the latchbolt in extended locked position by engagement with a downwardly facing shoulder on the inner side of the latchbolt. The upper actuating rod is linked to the blocker in such fashion that the blocker is swung out of blocking position when the actuating rod is lifted. When the actuating rod is released, the weight of the rod serves to urge the blocker toward blocking position. The upper latchbolt is returned from retracted position to extended position by a slide which is shifted transversely toward the latchbolt when the slide strikes a strike face, the slide then serving to push upon a projection on the upper latchbolt which tilts the latchbolt into the extended position, where it is blocked by the blocker until released. A lower latchbolt is also pulled to released position by upward movement of the lower actuating rod and held in released position as long as the upper latchbolt is held in released position. Also, the lower latchbolt is held in latched position as long as the upper latchbolt is held in latched position by the blocker.

United States Patent Inventor [72] Richard L. Armstrong Santa Fe Springs, Calif. 21 Appl. No. 754,614 [22] Filed Aug. 22, 1968 [45] Patented Aug. 17, 1971 [73] Assignee Norris Industries, Inc.

Los Angeles, Calif.

[54] EXIT DEVICE VERTICAL ROD UPPER LATCIIING A ND l-IOLDDOWN MECHANISM 7 Claims, 13 Drawing Figs.

52 us. Cl 292/237 [51] Int. Cl E05c 9/18 [50] Field ofSearch 292/237, 336, 198, 233,21,332

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,319,986 5/1967 Balducci 292/92 1,585,167 5/1926 Palmer 292/336 X 3,029,096 4/1962 Welch 292/336 3,124,378 3/1964 Jackson 292/198 X FOREIGN PATENTS 345,744 12/1921 Germany 292/336 Primary Examiner-Richard E. Moore AttorneyBeehler & Arant ABSTRACT: An exit device consisting of a crossbar adapted to be pushed to raise upper and lower vertical actuating rods which in turn release respective upper and lower latchbolts so that the door can be opened. The upper latchbolt is pivoted near its outside end so that when released, it will fall into a withdrawn position by gravity, assisted by a wiping of a front face of the latchbolt by a retaining plate on the doorframe. A blocker, pivoted on the inner side of the housing, holds the latchbolt in extended locked position by engagement with a downwardly facing shoulder on the inner side of the latchbolt. The upper actuating rod is linked to the blocker in such fashion that the blocker is swung out of blocking position when the actuating rod is lifted. When the actuating rod is releasedQthe weight of the rod serves to urge the blocker toward blocking position. The upper latchbolt is returned from retracted position to extended position by a slide which is shifted transversely toward the latchbolt when the slide strikes a strike face, the slide then serving to push upon a projection on the upper latchbolt which tilts the latchbolt into the extended position, where it is blocked by the blockeruntil released. A lower latchbolt is also pulled to released position by upward movement of the lower actuating rod and held in released position as long as the upper latchbolt is held in released position. Also, the lower latchbolt is held in latched position as long as the upper latchbolt is held in latched position by the blocker.

PATENTEU mm 7 as?! 3,600,022

sum 2 UP 4 arraexvEfi 4 PATENTED AUG I 7 I97! sum u or 4 EXIT DEVICE VERTICAL ROD UPPER LATCHING AND HOLDDOWN MECHANISM Exit devices of the type herein disclosed are those used often on public buildings where there maybe need for a relatively large number of people to quickly leave such a building. Exit devices have often been termed panic devices. Such devices customarily employ a relatively long crossbar on the inside of the door which serves to unlatch or retract upper and lower latchbolts when the crossbar is pushed, or even leaned against, so that the door will immediately swing to wide-open position. Since such exit devices or panic devices are intended to be capable of being released quickly and with a minimum of manipulation on the part of persons desiring to open the door, they should be made rugged enough to withstand a sudden, heavy, rapid opening operation and should also be such that the mechanism will not hang up or getstuck when the need for release is greatest.

Although devices of this general type have been in use for several decades, they have had various and sundry objectionable features, including difficulty of installation, looseness of engagement of latching devices with retaining means, and, on some occasions, have been such that they could not always be depended upon to release the latch under all emergency conditions. Some structures, moreover, have been objectionable because of there being no convenient means of holding the latchbolts in withdrawn position when the door is swung to and fro, causing a condition such that the lower latchbolt is prone to drag over the floor surface, and the upper latchbolt needing some special construction to cam it to extended position when the door is closed. y,

Among the objects of the invention is to provide a'new and improved exit device, wherein both upper and lower latchbolts are swung to retracted position by upward movement of an actuating rod when subjected to release pressure by a crossbar.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved exit device, wherein the upper and lower latchbolts are held in retracted position as long as the door remains in open position, but which can be immediately extended to a latching position as promptly as the door approaches a full-closed positron.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved exit device, wherein at least the lower latchbolt is always held in retracted position as long as the door is open and which is provided with a special triggering means for causing the upper latchbolt to be extended to latching position as promptly as the door approaches its fully closed position, without the need of providing a special means on the strike plate.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved exit device, wherein the upper and lower latchbolts are deadlocked in latched position by a simple, positive-acting deadlocking mechanism which is easily released when the door has to be opened. I

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved exit device, wherein the upper latch bolt is so designed and mounted as to fall into release position by gravity, thereby to eliminate the need for some auxiliary means, such as a spring, the construction further being such that the swing of the door will assist in shifting the upper latchbolt to its release position as the door is being swung to open position.

With these and other object in view, the invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter set forth, pointed out in the appended claims, and illustrated in the accompanying-drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the exit device shown installed on the inside face of a door.

I FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the upper latchbolt housing with the exterior cover shown in section.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

' FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 7-7 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a slide used with the upper latchbolt housing.

FIG. 9 is a vertical perspective view emphasizing operating parts of the upper latchbolt mechanism and showing the upper latchbolt blocked in extended position.

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 9, but showing the upper latchbolt in retracted position.

FIG. 11 is a vertical sectional view similar to FIG. 3, but showing the upper latchbolt in retracted position.

FIG. 12 is a vertical sectional view of the lower latchbolt housing.

FIG. 13 is a view taken on the line 13-13 of FIG. 1 1.

In an embodiment of the invention chosen for the purpose of illustration, the exit device is shown attached to the inside face 10 of a door 11. A mounting arrangement on the exterior of the inside face 10 has been chosen for the purpose of illustration, but it should be understood that the device is of such design and construction that it could be mounted within the door 11 itself intermediate the inside face 10 and an outside face 12. In the chosen embodiment, the door 1 1 is shown mounted in a frame 13, an upper portion of which is provided with a retainer plate 14 extending over an opening 15, and a strike plate 16. At the bottom is a threshold 17 provided with a transversely extending retainer flange 18, the threshold 17 being secured in customary conventional fashion to a supporting surface 19.

An upper latch device, indicated generally by the reference character 20, is shown located near the top edge 21 of the door 11 and adjacent a free-swinging side edge 22. A lower latch device, indicated generally by the reference character 24, is shown located adjacent the bottom edge 25 and also adjacent the free-swinging side edge 22.

Intermediate the upper and lower devices 20, 24 is located what is commonly designated as an active case 26 in which is pivotally mounted a hinge arm 27 which supports a crossbar or push bar 28, one end only of which is shown in FIG. 1. The hinge arm 27 is so pivoted by conventional means that, when pushed against, it will lift a plate 29 and thereby also lift an upper actuating rod 30 and a lower actuating rod 31, both of which are attached to the plate 29. Lifting the upper actuating rod 30 serves to withdraw an upper latchbolt 32, while lifting the lower actuating rod 31 serves to withdraw a lower latchbolt 33.

Having reference to FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, it will be noted that an upper latch housing 35 is attached to the door 1 l by means of bolts 36 and sleeves 37 at the location shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, which is slightly below an outwardly facing recess 38 of the frame 13 and below the opening 15. The upper latch bolt 32 is attached to the upper latch housing 35 by means of a pin 39 which is located on one side of the upper latchbolt 32 and which, in the association of parts comprising the structure disclosed, is on the side of the upper latch housing projection 40 acts to rotate the upper latchbolt 32 downwardly or clockwise as viewed in FIG. 3, without the assistance of any resilient means such as a spring.

On the upper latch bolt 32 is an outwardly directed face 41 which is adapted to engage an edge 42 of the retaining plate 14 when the upper latchbolt 32 is extended into latched or locked position, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the upper latchbolt 32 extending through a hole 43, which forms the edge 42. The hole 43 is made large enough so that the latching projection 40 can extend easily into and out of it during operation.

A blocker 45 is attached by means of a pivot pin 46 to the housing 35 on the side opposite from the pin 39. The blocker 45 has the shape generally of a bellcrank, a lower arm 47 of which is attached to a link 48 by means of a pin 49. The link 48 is attached to a connector 50 by means of another pin 51. In the embodiment shown, the upper actuating rod 30 is in the form of a channel and is attached to the connector 50 in the form of a channel and is attached to the connector 50 by means of screws 52.

An upper arm 53 of the blocker 45 terminates in a blocking element 54 which is adapted to engage beneath a downwardly facing shoulder 55 on the upper latchbolt 32. In the embodiment shown, the weight of the upper actuating rod 30 and members attached to it serve to rotate the blocker 45 in a counterclockwise direction, as shown in FIG. 3, thereby always to urge the blocking element 54 into its blocking position by means of gravity action.

It will be clear from the foregoing description that when the upper actuating rod 30 is lifted, as it will be when the hinge arm 27 is depressed by pressure upon the cross bar 28, the blocker 45 will be rotated in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 3, thereby to disengage the blocking element 54 from its blocking position beneath the shoulder 55. When this occurs, the upper latchbolt 32 will rotate, due to its own eccentric mounting, out of the projected position of FIG. 3 and into the retracted position of FIG. 1 l.

A chamber 56 of ample proportions is provided in the upper latch housing 35 so that the blocker 45, the upper latchbolt 32, the link 48 and connector 50 can all move freely and without interference.

I Located below a pivot plate 60 at the upper end of the upper latch housing 35 is a slide 61 which is adapted to move in a direction from right to left and left to right, as viewed in FIG. 3. A hole 62 in the slide 61 freely accommodates the latching projection 40 of the upper latchbolt 32. On the upper latchbolt 32 and outwardly relative to the pin 39 is a generally upwardly extending projection 63 which is adapted to engage an outwardly facing edge 64 of the slide 61. As the upper latchbolt 32 rotates, the projection 63 moves against the edge 64 and shifts the slide 61 in a direction from left to right, as viewed in FIG. 11. This results in projecting the inside end of the slide 61 laterally so that an appreciable portion of it is exposed exteriorly relative to the upper latchbolt housing 35. In the retracted position of FIG. 11, a corner of the upper latch bolt 32 rests in a recess 65 of the blocker 45, and this assists in limiting rotative motion of the upper latchbolt 32 at the extreme of its retracted position. In this last-mentioned position, the upper arm 53 of the blocker 45 is drawn into engagement with the adjacent curved surface of the latching projection 40 by action of gravity on the upper actuating rod 30 and parts attached to it.

In operation of the device described up to this point, when the door 11 is to be opened, as previously noted, pressure upon the crossbar 28 and hinge arm 27 acting against a bracket 59 on the plate 29 serves to unlatch the upper latchbolt 32, moving it from the position of FIG. 3 to the position of FIG. 11. This is accomplished by dislodging the blocking element 54 from the shoulder 55. The upper latchbolt 32 then proceeds to fall by gravity, but as pressure is exerted continually against the crossbar 28, and perhaps against the door 11 itself, urging the door 11 outwardly as the latching projection 40 and its outwardly directed face 41 is pushed against the edge 42 of the retaining plate 14, the action described tends to sweep the upper latchbolt 32 out of projected position, pushing it downwardly to the position shown in FIG. 11, thereby assisting gravity and making certain that even if gravity action should be insufiicient, the upper latchbolt 32 will remain in the retracted position described as long as the door 11 remains open.

When the door 11 is swung to closed position, the upper latchbolt 32 will remain retracted until the slide 61 is shifted in a direction from right to left, as viewed in FIG. 11, so that the outwardly facing edge 64 pushes against the projection 63 of the upper latchbolt 32, causing it to rotate in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 11, until the latching projection 40 is pushed upwardly through the hole 62, through a complementary hole 66 in the pivot plate 60, and upwardly through the hole 43 in the retainer plate 14 until it reaches the projected or locking position shown in FIG. 3. When the upper latchbolt 32 finally reaches locking position, weight of the upper actuating rod 30 will rotate the blocker 45 in a counterclockwise direction, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 3, thereby pulling the blocking element 54 to its position underneath the shoulder 55 and deadlocking the upper latchbolt 32.

The lower latchbolt 33 is designed and assembled for contemporaneous action with the upper latchbolt 32. To accomplish this, the lower latchbolt 33, as shown in FIG. 12, for example, is tiltably mounted by means of a pin 67 to a lower latch housing 68 at the lowermost portion of the lower latch housing 68 and on the inward side. A chamber 69 is provided in the lower latch housing 68 so that there is ample room for the lower latchbolt 33 to swing, together with other parts attached to it.

The lower actuating rod 31 is attached to a connector 70 by means of screws 71, and a link 72 is pivotally secured to the connector 70 by means of a pin 73. A pin 74 pivotally secures the link 72 to the lower latchbolt 33 within a recess 75. To ease operation of the lower latchbolt 33, the pin 73 is adapted to ride in a vertical slot 76 against action of a compression spring 77 held within a spring bore 78. When the lower latchbolt 33 is extended, as shown by the broken lines in FIG. 12, it will fall behind the retainer flange 18 when the door 11 is in full-closed position, thereby to latch the lower edge of the door 11 closed. When the lower actuating rod 31 is lifted, simultaneously with lifting the upper actuating rod 30, the lower actuating rod 31 will pull upon the link 72 which, in turn, will rotate the lower latchbolt 33 clockwise, as shown in FIG. 12, to retracted position and will hold it there as long as the upper latchbolt 32 is held is retracted position in the manner heretofore described.

To dress up the assembly described, there is provided a cover 85 extending around the upper latch housing 35 and secured thereto by means of a screw 86. Similarly, a cover 87 extends around and is secured to the lower latch housing 68 by means of a screw 88.

For adjustment purposes, there is provided an adjusting screw 80 which fits in a threaded bore 81 in a block 82 attached to the lower end of the upper actuating rod 30. A clevis 83 is pinned to the plate 29 by means of a pin 84. A similar adjustment, not shown, may be provided for adjusting the lower actuating rod 31.

While the invention has herein been shown and described in what is conceived to be a practical and effective embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein, but is intended to embrace any and all equivalent devices.

Having described the invention, what 1 claim as new in support of Letters Patent is:

1. An exit lock device for a door vertically hinged in a frame having an upper retaining means on said frame adjacent thereto, said device comprising an upper latch housing on the door adjacent the top thereof, said housing having an upper end and a lower end, an upper latchbolt comprising a body, connecting means on a portion of the body movably mounting said body in said housing, a latching projection on the body having a locked position projecting above said upper end for engagement with said retaining means, and an unlocked position below and clear of said retaining means, a latchbolt return member movably mounted on said housing at a location below said upper end, said return member having one portion in operative engagement with said latch bolt and another portion adapted to engage a part of said frame when the door is closed to return said latchbolt to locked position, said return member having an opening therethrough for said latchbolt and said latchbolt being adapted to move through said opening between withdrawn and extended positions, a downwardly facing shoulder on said body, a blocker having an attachment movably mounting said blocker on said housing and a reciprocating actuating means in operative association with said housing, said blocker having a connection movably connecting said actuating means to said blocker and a blocking element movable to a location in blocking engagement with said shoulder. a

2. An exit lock as in claim 1, wherein said connecting means and said attachment are pivot mountings with axes thereof parallel to each other.

3. An exit lock as in claim 1, wherein said door is adapted to swing outwardly and the latchbolt is movably attached to the housing adjacent a side thereof which faces outwardly and below said upper end.

4. An exit lock as in claim 1, wherein said latchbolt return member is a slide mounted for sliding movement at said upper end of the housing in a direction toward and away from said latchbolt, said slide being in engagement with said latchbolt at a location eccentric relative to the mounting of said latchbolt on said housing whereby, to move said latchbolt to extended position upon engagement of said slide with a portion of said doorframe.

5. An exit lock as in claim 4, wherein said connecting means and said attachment are pivot mountings with axes thereof in spaced parallel relationship and wherein there is an upwardly extending projection on said body in a position of engagement with said slide.

6. An exit device for a door vertically hinged in a frame having retaining means on said frame adjacent thereto, said device. comprising a latch housing on the door adjacent the top thereof, said housing having an upper end and a lower end, a latchbolt and pivot means adjacent one end of said latch bolt pivctally mounting said latchbolt on said housing, a latching projection at the other end of said latchbolt, a shoulder facing away from-said latching projection and an actuating projection on said latchbolt, a blocker having an actuating portion and having a blocking portion engageable with said latchbolt when in a latching position and a pivot intermediate said portions pivotally mounting said blocker on said housing, and a slide having a transversely slidable mounting on the upper end of said housing, said slide having one portion in operating engagement with said actuating projection and another portion extending to a location exterior with respect to said housing and adapted to engage a portion of said frame when the door is closed whereby to move said latchbolt to latching position, and an opening through said slide through which said latching projection extends when passing between latching and unlatching positions.

7. An exit lock device for a door vertically hinged in a frame having an upper retaining means on said frame adjacent thereto, said device comprising an upper latch housing on the door adjacent the top thereof, said housing having an upper end and a lower end, an upper latching bolt comprising a body, connecting means on a portion of the body movably mounting said body on said housing, a latching projection on the body having a locked position projecting above said upper end for engagement with said retaining means, and an unlocked position below and clear of said retaining means, a latchbolt return member movably mounted on said housing at a location below said upper end, said return member having one portion in operative engagement with said latchbolt and another portion adapted to engage a part of said frame when the door is closed to return said latchbolt to locked position, a downwardly facing shoulder on said body, a blocker having an attachment movably mounting said blocker on said housing, and a reciprocating actuating means in operative association with said housing, said blocker having a connection movably connecting said actuating means to said blocker and a blocking element movable to a location in blocking engagement with said shoulder. 

1. An exit lock device for a door vertically hinged in a frame having an upper retaining means on said frame adjacent thereto, said device comprising an upper latch housing on the door adjacent the top thereof, said housing having an upper end and a lower end, an upper latchbolt comprising a body, connecting means on a portion of the body movably mounting said body in said housing, a latching projection on the body having a locked position projecting above said upper end for engagement with said retaining means, and an unlocked position below and clear of said retaining means, a latchbolt return member movably mounted on said housing at a location below said upper end, said return member having one portion in operative engagement with said latch bolt and another portion adapted to engage a part of said frame when the door is closed to return said latchbolt to locked position, said return member having an opening therethrough for said latchbolt and said latchbolt being adapted to move through said opening between withdrawn and extended positions, a downwardly facing shoulder on said body, a blocker having an attachment movably mounting said blocker on said housing and a reciprocating actuating means in operative association with said housing, said blocker having a connection movably connecting said actuating means to said blocker and a blocking element movable to a location in blocking engagement with said shoulder.
 2. An exit lock as in claim 1, wherein said connecting means and said attachment are pivot mountings with axes thereof parallel to each other.
 3. An exit lock as in claim 1, wherein said door is adapted to swing outwardly and the latchbolt is movably attached to the housing adjacent a side thereof which faces outwardly and below said upper end.
 4. An exit lock as in claim 1, wherein said latchbolt return member is a slide mounted for sliding movement at said upper end of the housing in a direction toward and away from said latchbolt, said slide being in engagement with said latchbolt at a location eccentric relative to the mounting of said latchbolt on said housing whereby, to move said latchbolt to extended position upon engagement of said slide with a portion of said doorframe.
 5. An exit lock as in claim 4, wherein said connecting means and said attachment are pivot mountings with axes thereof in spaced parallel relationship and wherein there is an upwardly extending projection on said body in a position of engagement with said slide.
 6. An exit device for a door vertically hinged in a frame having retaining means on said frame adjacent thereto, said device comprising a latch housing on the door adjacent the top thEreof, said housing having an upper end and a lower end, a latchbolt and pivot means adjacent one end of said latch bolt pivotally mounting said latchbolt on said housing, a latching projection at the other end of said latchbolt, a shoulder facing away from said latching projection and an actuating projection on said latchbolt, a blocker having an actuating portion and having a blocking portion engageable with said latchbolt when in a latching position and a pivot intermediate said portions pivotally mounting said blocker on said housing, and a slide having a transversely slidable mounting on the upper end of said housing, said slide having one portion in operating engagement with said actuating projection and another portion extending to a location exterior with respect to said housing and adapted to engage a portion of said frame when the door is closed whereby to move said latchbolt to latching position, and an opening through said slide through which said latching projection extends when passing between latching and unlatching positions.
 7. An exit lock device for a door vertically hinged in a frame having an upper retaining means on said frame adjacent thereto, said device comprising an upper latch housing on the door adjacent the top thereof, said housing having an upper end and a lower end, an upper latching bolt comprising a body, connecting means on a portion of the body movably mounting said body on said housing, a latching projection on the body having a locked position projecting above said upper end for engagement with said retaining means, and an unlocked position below and clear of said retaining means, a latchbolt return member movably mounted on said housing at a location below said upper end, said return member having one portion in operative engagement with said latchbolt and another portion adapted to engage a part of said frame when the door is closed to return said latchbolt to locked position, a downwardly facing shoulder on said body, a blocker having an attachment movably mounting said blocker on said housing, and a reciprocating actuating means in operative association with said housing, said blocker having a connection movably connecting said actuating means to said blocker and a blocking element movable to a location in blocking engagement with said shoulder. 